Electrical Connector

ABSTRACT

An electrical connector is described. In one implementation, the connector includes a female portion including one or more electrical contacts and a male portion including one or more electrical contacts. The female portion and the male portion each have a self-orientating geometry that allows the male portion to be mated with the female portion in any rotational position along 360 degrees of rotation. When mated, the electrical contacts of the female portion mate with corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the male portion to form one or more electrical connections between two electronic components.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of and claims priority topending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/343,801, entitled “ELECTRICALCONNECTOR”, filed on Jan. 30, 2006, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to electrical connectors.

BACKGROUND

Electrical connectors come in various forms and serve various purposes.For example, computers are commonly connected to peripheral devices(e.g., keyboards, monitors and printers) through USB (Universal SerialBus) connectors and multi-pin connectors. An RJ-11 phone plug typeconnector is also used in computer networks, as well as otherimplementations. For example, a catheter including a device such as anultrasonic imaging device requiring rotation during operation may bemechanically and electrically connected to a motor drive unit. An RJ-11connector coupled with a rotary transformer can be used to connect themotor drive unit to the catheter. Typically, an electrical connector hasa female portion and a male portion that can be mated to form anelectrical connection between the two portions. A conventional USBconnector, for example, requires the male portion be inserted into thefemale portion at one particular orientation along 360 degrees ofrotation.

SUMMARY

This invention relates to electrical connectors. In general, in oneaspect, the invention features an apparatus including a connector thatelectrically connects an electronic component with an imaging catheter.The connector includes a female portion including one or more electricalcontacts and a male portion including one or more electrical contacts.The female portion and the male portion each have a self-orientatinggeometry that allows the male portion to be mated with the femaleportion in any rotational position along 360 degrees of rotation. Whenmated, the electrical contacts of the female portion mate withcorresponding one or more electrical contacts of the male portion toform one or more electrical connections between the electronic componentand the imaging catheter.

Implementations of the apparatus may include one or more of thefollowing features. The electronic component can be a motor drive unitfor driving an ultrasound transducer included in the imaging catheter.The electrical contacts on the male portion can be shaped as a series ofaxially stacked rings and the electrical contacts on the female portioncan be shaped as fingers spaced around a circumference of the femaleportion and axially offset from one another. The male and femaleportions are configured to mate such that each finger is in contact witha corresponding one of the rings. The fingers can have a spring forcethat causes the fingers to press against the rings when the male andfemale portions are mated. Each finger can have a ridged portion alongthe length of the finger and the ridged portion of the finger can comeinto contact with the corresponding ring. The female portion can includean outer shield configured to shield the electrical contacts from radiofrequency signals. In one implementation, the connector can conform tothe USB (Universal Serial Bus) electrical specification and protocol.

In general, in another aspect, the invention features an imaging system.The imaging system includes an imaging catheter, a motor drive unit anda connector. The imaging catheter includes a rotator core, a driveshaft, and an imaging core, and is configured to electrically connect toa motor drive unit by a connector, where a female or male portion of theconnector is included within the rotator core. The motor drive unit isconfigured to electrically connect to the imaging catheter by theconnector and to provide rotational movement to the imaging core, wherea female or male portion of the connector is included at a distal end ofthe motor drive unit. The connector is configured to electricallyconnect the imaging catheter to a motor drive unit. The connectorincludes a female portion including one or more electrical contacts anda male portion including one or more electrical contacts. The connectoris rotatable and the male portion and the female portion each have acorresponding locking geometry that allows for transfer of rotationalmovement between the male and female portions when mated. One of eitherthe male or female portion of the connector is included at the distalend of the motor drive unit and the corresponding portion is includedwithin the rotator core of the imaging catheter.

Implementations of the system may include one or more of the followingfeatures. The locking geometry can include one or more keys included inone of the male or female portions and one or more corresponding groovesincluded in the other of the male or female portions. The electricalcontacts on the male portion can be shaped as a series of axiallystacked rings. The electrical contacts on the female portion can beshaped as fingers spaced around a circumference of the female portionand axially offset from one another. The male and female portions areconfigured to mate such that each finger is in contact with acorresponding one of the rings. The fingers can have a spring force thaturges the fingers to press against the rings when the male and femaleportions are mated. Each finger can have a ridged portion along thelength of the finger and the ridged portion of the finger can come intocontact with the corresponding ring. In one implementation, theconnector can conform to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) electricalspecification and protocol.

In general, in another aspect, the invention features an apparatusincluding a connector. The connector includes a female portion includingone or more electrical contacts and a male portion including one or moreelectrical contacts. The female portion and the male portion each have aself-orientating geometry that allows the male portion to be mated withthe female portion in any rotational position along 360 degrees ofrotation. When mated, the electrical contacts of the female portion matewith corresponding one or more electrical contacts of the male portionto form one or more electrical connections.

Implementations of the apparatus may include one or more of thefollowing features. The electrical contacts on the male portion can beshaped as a series of axially stacked rings. The electrical contacts onthe female portion can be shaped as fingers spaced around acircumference of the female portion and axially offset from one another.When the male and female portions are mated, each finger is in contactwith a corresponding one of the rings. The fingers can include a springforce that urges the fingers to press against the rings when the maleand female portions are mated. Each finger can have a ridged portionalong the length of the finger and the ridged portion of the fingercomes into contact with a corresponding ring. The female portion caninclude an outer shield that shields the electrical contacts from radiofrequency signals. In one implementation, the connector can conform tothe USB (Universal Serial Bus) electrical specification and protocol.

In general, in another aspect, the invention features an apparatusincluding a connector. The connector is configured to connect a motordrive unit to a catheter, the catheter being a tubular instrument thatcan be inserted into a body cavity or blood vessel. The connectorincludes a female portion, including one or more electrical contacts anda locking geometry, where the one or more electrical contacts areconfigured to mate to one or more electrical contacts of a male portionand the locking geometry is configured to mate to a correspondinglocking geometry of the male portion. The connector further includes amale portion, including one or more electrical contacts and a lockinggeometry, where the one or more electrical contacts are configured tomate to one or more electrical contacts of the female portion and thelocking geometry is configured to mate to a corresponding lockinggeometry of the female portion. The connector is configured to rotatesuch that when the female and male portions are mated, rotationalmovement from the motor drive unit is transferred to the catheter and anelectrical connection is made between the motor drive unit and thecatheter.

Implementations of the apparatus can include one or more of thefollowing features. The locking geometry can include one or more keys ineither the female or male portion and one or more corresponding groovesin the other portion. The catheter can include a rotator core, a driveshaft, and an imaging core. The connector can be positioned within therotator core. The electrical contacts on the male portion can be shapedas a series of axially stacked rings, and the electrical contacts on thefemale portion can be shaped as fingers spaced around a circumference ofthe female portion and axially offset from one another. When the maleand female portions are mated, each finger is in contact with acorresponding one of the rings. The fingers can include a spring forcethat urges the fingers to press against the rings when the male andfemale portions are mated. Each finger can have a ridged portion alongthe length of the finger and the ridged portion of the finger comes intocontact with a corresponding ring. In one implementation, the connectorcan conform to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) electrical specificationand protocol. In another implementation, the connector can be amulti-pin connector and the male portion can include a plurality of pinsand the female portion can include a plurality of correspondingapertures configured to receive the plurality of pins.

A connector implemented according to the invention can realize one ormore of the following advantages. The male and female portions of theconnector can be mated at any orientation, facilitating connection by auser. By eliminating the need for an “orientation zone”, such aconnector can be more compact than other types of connectors. Theconnector can accommodate a larger number of electrical contacts and canreduce noise better than other types of connector. The configuration ofelectrical contacts allows the connector to be included in a rotatinghousing, ideal for uses such as the catheter described without requiringa rotary transformer.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a partial cut view of an orientation free connector.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional views of male and female portionsof a rotatable connector.

FIG. 3 illustrates a rotatable multi-pin connector.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a medical imaging system.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a medical imaging catheter.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a connector in a medical imaging catheter.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an orientation free connector 100 including a male portion110 and a mating female portion 120. The male portion 110 includes a setof electrical contacts 130. The female portion 120 includes acorresponding set of electrical contacts 140. When the female portion ofthe connector is mated with the male portion, an electrical connectionis established between each electrical contact on the male portion andthe corresponding electrical contact on the female portion.

The electrical contacts 130, 140 can be made of any conductive material,for example, gold. Alternatively, the electrical contacts can be made ofa non-conductive material that is coated in a conductive material. Theelectrical contacts 130, 140 have a self-orientating geometry thatallows the male and female portions 110, 120 to be mated in anyrotational position along 360 degrees of rotation, while still providingsufficient contact between the corresponding electrical contacts andwhile avoiding contact between electrical contacts that are intended tobe connected. In general, there can be a one-to-one relationship in theconnection of the electrical contacts 130 and 140.

In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the electrical contacts130 on the male portion 110 are shaped as a series of axially stackedrings. The contact rings are supported by an insulating layer 150. Theinsulating layer 150 can be made of any non-conductive material, e.g., adielectric, for example, a plastic. Each electric contact 130 can beconnected to wires or lead traces in the dielectric 150, e.g., ingrooves formed therein. The wires or leads provide an electricalconnection between the electric contacts 130 in the male portion (i.e.,the rings) and an electrical component attached to the connector (e.g.,a power supply or motor drive unit). The dielectric 150 also providessupport for an outer shield that can shield the rings from RF (radiofrequency) signals.

The electrical contacts 140 on the female portion 120 are shaped as aseries of fingers spaced circumferentially about an inner region of thefemale portion 120 and axially offset from another. Each finger has aridged portion 160 along the length of the finger. The ridged portion160 is positioned such that when the male and female portions of theconnector are mated, the ridged portion 160 of the finger contacts aring in the male portion 110. The position of the ridge along thelongitudinal axis of the female portion 120 varies from finger tofinger. This allows each finger of the female portion 120 to contact adifferent ring of the male portion 110.

The fingers can have a degree of flexibility and resilience. When themale portion 110 of the connector is inserted into the female portion120, the fingers on the female portion 120 bend to allow the maleportion 110 to pass over the fingers. At the same time, the resilienceor spring force of the fingers tends to urge the fingers into contactwith the rings of the male portion 110, once the male portion 110 isengaged in the female portion 120.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each portion of the connector 100includes a set of four electrical contacts. Other embodiments caninclude other numbers of electrical contacts, for example, one or more.The number of contacts and the spacing of the contacts on the femaleportion 120 correspond to the number and spacing on the male portion110.

In some applications, a connection is required between two componentsthat rotate during operation. One approach is to connect the twocomponents using a non-rotating electrical connector (e.g., an RJ-11connector) in conjunction with a separate rotary transformer. However,this approach requires use of the separate rotary transformer, addingbulk and expense to the electrical connector.

The connector described herein can rotate without requiring a separaterotary transformer. A rotating connector can include a positive lockinggeometry that allows for transfer of rotational movement between themale and female portions. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, thelocking geometry can include a set of keys 210 on the male portion 110that fit into a corresponding set of grooves 220 on the female portion120. Although only two keys and grooves are shown, more or fewer keysand grooves can be used. In embodiments where the connector 100 includesthe keyed geometry, the housing 200 is not orientation free. Forexample, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, there are only tworotational positions along 360 degrees of rotation where the keys andgrooves can be aligned.

In another embodiment, the connector 100 is configured for mounting to apanel, for example, a panel on the front or back of a computer. That is,the female portion 120 can be affixed within the panel, and the maleportion 110 can be attached to the distal end of an electrical cableaffixed to a peripheral device, e.g., a keyboard. In another embodiment,the connector 100 can be configured to provide a liquid tight sealaround the electrical contacts. For example, the male portion 110 caninclude an o-ring held within a groove located at the distal end of themale portion 110. When the male portion 110 is inserted into the femaleportion 120, the o-ring forms a liquid tight seal.

A USB connector generally refers to a connector meeting the UniversalStandard Bus (USB) Specification. The USB Specification includes amechanical specification, an electrical specification and a USBprotocol. The USB Specification sets a standard to ensure consistencyand connectivity among various USB devices and host devices. In oneimplementation, the connector 100 described herein can be configured toconform to the USB Specification other than the physical configurationof the connector itself. That is, the connector 100 can conform to theelectrical specification and USB protocol set forth in the USBSpecification Revision 2.0, dated Apr. 27, 2000, the entire contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated herein by reference, or other versions ofthe USB Specification. The connector 100 does have a different physicalconfiguration then a standard USB connector, and is not configured tomate with either a male or female standard USB connector. For certainapplications where an orientation free connector or a rotatableconnector is desirable, a standard USB connector could be replaced by aconnector conforming to the USB specification electronically, butphysically configured as described above in reference to FIG. 1.

One or more of the above-described features can also be used with otherconfigurations of connectors. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates amulti-pin connector 300 that can rotate. The multi-pin connector has amale connector 310 and a female connector 320, each encased within ahousing 330. The housing 330 can include positive locking geometry thatallows for transfer of rotational movement between the male and femaleconnectors 310, 320. In the implementation shown, the positive lockinggeometry is a set of keys 340 that can slide into a corresponding set ofgrooves 350.

The above-described connectors can be used in a variety of contexts. Anexemplary medical imaging system 400 is illustrated in FIG. 4. Aconnector 415 configured as one of the connectors described herein canbe used in the medical imaging system 400 to connect a motor drive unit410 to a medical imaging catheter 420. The motor drive unit 410 canprovide power, data transfer capabilities, and/or mechanical drive tothe medical imaging catheter 420.

The medical imaging catheter 420 can be used in a variety of medicalprocedures. One such procedure is IVUS (Intravascular Ultrasound)imaging. IVUS is a medical imaging technique that creates images of theinterior of a blood vessel by inserting an imaging catheter into theblood vessel. An ultrasound transducer mounted at the tip of thecatheter interrogates the cross-sectional plane of the blood vessel byrotating and then emitting ultrasonic pulses and receiving echoes of theemitted pulses at various angular positions. An image processor drawsradial lines corresponding to each angular position. The image processorassigns brightness values to pixels on the line based on the echoreceived for that angular position. The drawing of a large number ofsuch radial lines results in an IVUS image.

FIG. 5A illustrates one embodiment of a medical imaging catheter 420 forperforming IVUS imaging. In this embodiment, the catheter includes afirst subassembly 510 and a second subassembly 550. The firstsubassembly includes a rotator core 520, a drive shaft 530, and animaging core 540. At the distal end of the imaging core 540 is anultrasound transducer 542 and an MPS (medical positioning sensor) coil544 for tracking the movement of the imaging core 540. Inside of therotator core 520 is an electrical connector 600, which is described inmore detail below with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, an electrical connector 600 is located atthe proximal end of the first subassembly 510. In the embodiment shownthe electrical connector 600 is multi-pin connector similar to themulti-pin connector 300 described in reference to FIG. 3. In anotherembodiment, the connector 100 described in reference to FIG. 1 can beincluded in the proximal end of the first subassembly 5 10. Theelectrical connector 600 allows the catheter to be connected to anotherelectrical component, e.g., a motor drive unit that provides power, datatransfer capabilities, and mechanical drive to the catheter.

The electrical connector 600 can be secured inside the rotator core 520by any means. FIG. 6 shows a pair of bolts 610 that are rotationallyfixed with respect to connector 600 the bolts serve as an alignmentfeature when used in conjunction with the mating connector. The boltscan also function as the positive locking mechanism that allows fortransfer of rotational movement. Alternatively, the rotator core 530 caninclude a separate positive locking mechanism.

The connector 600 can be a multi-pin connector or a connector includingan axial ring configuration as described above. In the case where amulti-pin connector is used, the male portion of the multi-pin connectorcan only be inserted into the female portion at particular rotationalpositions. Thus, the multi-pin connector typically includes anorientation zone where the male portion can align itself with the femaleportion prior to insertion. The orientation free connector 100 shown inFIG. 1, by contrast, does not require an orientation zone because themale portion can be inserted into the female portion at any rotationalposition. Thus, the orientation free connector 100 is typically morecompact in size than a multi-pin connector and can accommodate a largernumber of electrical contacts than a multi-pin connector. The connector100 typically has better shielding than a multi-pin connector andtherefore, is better at reducing noise.

Referring back to FIG. 5A, the second subassembly 550 of the catheterincludes a proximal housing 560, a telescope 570, and a sheath 580. Toposition the catheter for use, the sheath 580 is inserted into apatient's blood vessel. The first subassembly 510 is inserted into thesecond subassembly 550 such that the rotator core 520 and electricalconnector 600 are positioned inside the proximal housing 560 and theimaging core 540, transducer 542 and MPS coil 544 are positioned insidethe sheath 580. FIG. 5B shows the sheath 580 with the imaging core 540,transducer 542 and MPS coil 544 positioned inside.

During use of the catheter, the rotator core 520 rotates the drive shaft530 which, in turn, rotates the imaging core 540. The electricalconnector 600 inside of the rotator core 520 rotates while stillmaintaining electrical connection with a corresponding electricalconnector attached to the motor drive unit.

The telescope 570 can be retracted and extended to move the position ofthe imaging core 540 inside the sheath. This allows the imaging core 540to take images at different positions along the blood vessel while thesheath 580 remains stationary.

The above described implementation of the connector 100 in the contextof a medical device is exemplary. As discussed above, otherimplementations are possible both within and outside of the medicaldevice field. Additionally, other forms of catheters can implement theconnector 100. The catheter described above was merely exemplary. Forexample, a catheter including a rotating ablation device can beelectrically connected to a motor drive unit using the connector 100 ormulti-pin connector 300 described.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. An imaging system, comprising: an imaging catheter comprising arotator core, a drive shaft, and an imaging core, and configured toelectrically connect to a motor drive unit by a connector, where afemale or male portion of the connector is included within the rotatorcore; a motor drive unit configured to electrically connect to theimaging catheter by the connector and to provide rotational movement tothe imaging core, where a female or male portion of the connector isincluded at a distal end of the motor drive unit; and a connectorconfigured to electrically connect the imaging catheter to a motor driveunit, and comprising: a female portion including one or more electricalcontacts; and a male portion including one or more electrical contacts;where the connector is rotatable and the male portion and the femaleportion each have a corresponding locking geometry that allows fortransfer of rotational movement between the male and female portionswhen mated and where one of either the male or female portion of theconnector is included at the distal end of the motor drive unit and thecorresponding portion is included within the rotator core of the imagingcatheter.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the locking geometryincludes one or more keys included in one of the male or female portionsand one or more corresponding grooves included in the other of the maleor female portions.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, where: the electricalcontacts on the male portion are shaped as a series of axially stackedrings; the electrical contacts on the female portion are shaped asfingers spaced around a circumference of the female portion and axiallyoffset from one another; and where the male and female portions areconfigured to mate such that each finger is in contact with acorresponding one of the rings.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, where thefingers include a spring force that urges the fingers to press againstthe rings when the male and female portions are mated.
 5. The apparatusof claim 3, where each finger has a ridged portion along the length ofthe finger and the ridged portion of the finger comes into contact withthe corresponding ring.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, where the connectorconforms to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) electrical specification andprotocol.